The Price of Comfort
by TrippWire
Summary: Two sleepy Titans are in for one peculiar night. ONESHOT


**Disclaimer****: Come on, if I owned the Teen Titans, would I really be sitting here writing fan fiction?**

**Rating****: K+**

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_/edited: 11 January 2011_

**The Price of Comfort**

Beast Boy trudged down the pitch-black hallway in a white undershirt and excessively baggy lounge pants that barely clung to his waist. He didn't even bother to lift his feet in between his sluggish steps. He was hardly awake, but he didn't let that stop him. He needed to get at least one bite of food, but not anything that would keep him up any later. In other words, sugar and caffeine were out of the question. Maybe some nice, fresh fruit would do. Of course, _fresh_ food was scarce in Titan's Tower. Either food was consumed within five minutes of being served, or it was left behind to spawn some new life-threatening bacteria. He sure hoped the fruit wasn't _that_ old…

'_Do we even have any fruit?_' he wondered.

Beast Boy came to the entrance of the main room of the tower. He stood there momentarily, trying to find the memory inside his brain that would tell him how to open a door.

Forgetting that the tower was put on lockdown during the night (and the fact that the doors slid automatically when they were unlocked), he pushed on them, expecting them to swing open. Alas, nothing happened. Out of frustration, the sleep-deprived boy continued to push on the doors until finally pushing so hard that he lost his footing and fell face-first onto the cold floor. If he had been more awake, he probably would have cared about the throbbing pain in his nose. Fortunately for him, sleepiness was a pain-nullifying condition. He very well could have fallen asleep right there on the ground if it weren't for his stomach speaking to him quite loudly. He groaned as a lengthy gurgle emanated from his midsection.

From his belly flop position, he rose to try to open the doors once more. This time he noticed the identification pad on the right side of the door and clumsily slapped his hand to it. Handprints had to be verified to allow access through any door during nighttime lockdown. After a second or two, the red light on the pad turned green and the doors pulled away to reveal his destination.

He was about to step into the room until he noticed something peculiar. The television was on… and he wasn't in front of it. Peculiar indeed. This sparked some mental processes within him, and gradually, Beast Boy became more awake. He was the last one to leave the operations room that night and he remembered turning off the enormous flat-panel TV. The obvious conclusion was that someone else had gotten up in the middle of the night to watch television. But who else besides Beast Boy could have been there?

Without making a sound, he tiptoed into the room, determined to solve this mystery. Then he resorted to creeping closely to the floor; he didn't want to make his presence known. As he thought about it, he realized there was only one person it could have possibly been: Cyborg. He was the only other person who enjoyed watching as much television as Beast Boy. Pertaining to his mischievous ways, Beast Boy figured that this whole situation was too good to pass up. Pranking took higher priority over hunger and sleep when he was presented with opportunities like this.

He made it to the back of the couch successfully. The volume of the TV helped; it blocked out any other disruptive noises. Beast Boy grinned wickedly and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. With his heightened hearing, he could detect the faint sounds of breathing coming from the right side of couch facing the panoramic windows. So he crawled over to that arm of the couch, no doubt where Cyborg's head was resting. There, he formulated his plan. The classic idea of popping up out of nowhere and bellowing some ungodly sound seemed to catch his fancy for tonight.

He giggled to himself. Messing with the mechanical teen was well worth the consequences that were bound to follow.

All he had to do now was count to three. Three simple counts and Cyborg would be screaming his head off like a little girl (it always amazed Beast Boy how large the guy's vocal range was).

"One," he whispered, turning around to face where Cyborg was.

"Two." He got in position like a compressed spring, ready to scare the wits out of his defenseless victim.

He smirked. "Three."

Beast Boy sprung up with his arms crooked like some kind of monster. But upon setting his sights on his victim, he fell backwards onto his rear before any sound could escape his mouth. And it wasn't out of clumsiness. He was truly confused. Wasn't Cyborg supposed to be there? Wasn't he supposed to get a good laugh out of this?

In a daze, Beast Boy sat on his sore buttocks for several seconds. That's what he got for not checking who it was first, he figured. Once regaining his composure with a good shake of the head, he crawled back over to the couch and peered over the arm at the sleeping figure that was most definitely _not_ Cyborg. Instead, the sleeping figure was none other than Raven. She lay on her stomach in a pair of tight, blue satin pajamas. Her face was stuffed into the couch pillow and her hair was all askew. Her right arm was draped over the pillow while the other was buried beneath it.

'_Raven?'_ Beast Boy thought, _'asleep on the couch? With the TV on? In the middle of the night?'_

Yes, this was indeed even more peculiar than before. It was _Raven_ of all people, after all. She probably hadn't meant to fall asleep there. Beast Boy began to think he should wake her. At this moment, his hunger was forgotten.

He got up from the floor and sat back down on the edge of the couch where she was lying. He put his hand on her shoulder and shook it lightly.

"Raven," he whispered delicately. If he wanted to see the next morning, a rude awakening was _definitely _not the way to go. "Hey, Raven, wake up."

She didn't show any signs of coming to; she really must have been out.

He leaned over so that his mouth was close to her ear. He gripped her shoulder a little tighter, but he still shook with the same gentle force.

He whispered into her ear. "Raven, wake up. You fell asleep on the couch… C'mon, wake up. _Please_ wake up."

Suddenly, soft mumbles escaped her lips. Beast Boy moved back to sit upright again.

Raven moaned a sleepy, groggy moan right into the pillow. She readjusted her head so that she wasn't breathing through the cloth anymore. Her eyes fluttered open and she tilted her head to look at the person that had woken her from her slumber. Beast Boy looked back down at her. He smiled.

"Beast Boy?" she grumbled tiredly.

"Hmm?"

"What are you doing?" She didn't sound too pleasant.

Beast Boy gave one of his signature nervous laughs.

She sat up and leaned on her right arm. "What? Tell me," she demanded as she became more aware.

"Wellllll, I was coming for a late night snack, but when I got here I saw the TV on. I thought you were Cyborg."

"Why would you think that?" she inquired further.

"Heh, didn't really expect anyone besides him to be watching TV this late. And, um, I was gunna pull a prank, but uh… then I saw you instead, so yeah," he explained hesitantly. He felt it was in his best interest to leave out that he was a split second away from screaming in her face.

"Typical," she said apathetically.

"How'd you end up down here?" he wondered out loud.

"Couldn't sleep," she replied simply.

"Well, it looks like you solved that problem," he commented.

"Yeah, everything on TV was so _mindless_ it drained me of my ability to think. So I guess that did the trick," she reasoned.

Beast Boy smiled again.

"…Until you woke me up," she added, glaring at him.

Beast Boy stood up rather quickly. "Um, I'm gunna go get that snack I was looking for," he said with a nervous smile, pointing to the kitchen.

He swiftly walked over to the fridge. Looking back, he saw that Raven had reclined to a lying position; her hair flowed over the arm of the couch. Returning his attention back to the task at hand, he opened the fridge and jumped backwards incase anything lurched off the shelves to attack him. He let out an extremely relieved sigh when he saw that the interior of the fridge was relatively clean. Just about spotless, actually. A rare occurrence in Titan's Tower, to say the least.

He scanned the shelves before singling out what he wanted: a batch of grapes. He broke off a small bundle of grapes from the bunch and was happy to see that none of them were home to mold cultures. He popped one in his mouth and was greatly satisfied. It was slightly tart and crunchy, just the way he liked them. Mushy fruit never appealed to him. The taste of the savory juices caused him to close his eyes in satisfaction. The common fruits never seemed to fail him.

"Mmmmm, these are really good," he said with delight. "You want any, Raven?"

He received no answer, so he walked back to the couch only to find that she had fallen back into the grasps of sleep. Except this time she had turned onto her right side, her arms curled up to her chest with her hands lying relaxed, palm-to-palm. Her left leg crossed over top her outstretched right leg.

He ceased chewing on a succulent grape and the hand holding the bundle dropped lifelessly to his side, sending one falling to the floor. Beast Boy lost his concentration at the sight before him. Raven looked so peaceful in her slumber. Her eyes were completely still behind her eyelids, indicating a reposed mind. She kept her mouth closed, but it wasn't clenched together. Her features were softened and he could see no sign of tension within her. She lay there, in a state of tranquility while her body prepared itself for the oncoming day. Her light breathing was masked only by the sounds still exuding from the television. Beast Boy's cat-like hearing picked up the soothing sonance, welcoming it. Her respirations weren't forceful, holding just the weight of a feather. Her torso rose and fell ever so slightly with each angelic breath.

Beast Boy stood there in a mixture of awe and relaxation. Just the sight of such a delicate being in a deep, restful sleep calmed him. His heart beat slowed down to an adagio and his breathing mimicked the steady rhythm of her breathing.

This was so different from the hardened, shell of a girl he had gotten to know during the day. Had Raven always been this… beautiful? He pondered on this and realized he wasn't afraid to think that about her. He had no rational reason to be afraid to think that. Why deny something that was of the utmost truth? To him, she really was an Azarathian Angel, despite her demonic heritage. And Beast Boy had the privilege of witnessing one. Through her placid expression, he saw the girl she probably always wished she could be. Beast Boy could now see that, at least in slumber, she _was_ capable of escaping the cold façade she put up every day. And now, a warm aura emanated off her, spreading throughout the whole room and into his very veins.

There was no doubt about it; she was beautiful. It just disappointed him that he had never noticed before. He had always known she had her looks going for her, but this was unlike anything he had ever seen from her before. He was lucky enough to stumble upon this rare and wonderful find. He was confused as to what he should do next though. He knew he didn't want to leave. Not now. How often would he see her like this? For some reason, it gave him great joy. The serenity of one of his friends made him feel happy. Especially her.

Beast Boy laid the bundle of grapes on the coffee table. Perhaps he would eat them in a little while. He walked over to where Raven's feet were and sat down next to them on one of the cushions. He leaned up against the back of the couch, exhaling and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he looked back over at Raven, who still slept contently. Then he turned to the television. There was only early morning nonsense playing on the current channel. He had no desire to burn his eyes away on the screen, so he reached for the remote and switched off the flat-panel.

It all of a sudden became gravely quiet, except for the sound of Raven's soft breathing. It provided the only sense of comfort in the dark room, but it was all he needed. Outside the bay windows, he could see the dazzling stars in the clear night sky. There was no moon to provide any light, so the stars were the main source of what little illumination there was. Even Jump City was (for the most part) asleep at this early hour. There were still a few more hours until sunrise.

As he sat there, his eyelids began to grow heavy. His eyes seemed to stay closed longer and longer with each blink. Eventually, they were closed more often than they were open. And finally, sleep washed over him. The last thing he heard was Raven taking in another breath.

**-X-X-X-**

Raven opened her eyes, except there was one problem; she saw the same darkness she saw with her eyes closed. As she looked around, she could make out the very faint light of the stars twinkling through the windows. She was still tired, and apparently it was still night. For this she was thankful, but through her fuzzy, drowsy senses, she realized that she had become rather cold. There were no blankets within her reach and her body longed for the warmth and coziness of her bed. Thus another problem: in order to get that warmth and coziness, she would have to stand up and walk _all the way_ back to her room… she decided against that idea. Her tired body would not allow her to walk that far anyway and she couldn't focus enough to use her powers. Thus, the problem remained… she was still cold.

She gave a languid stretch in her lying position. It was then that she felt something. She stretched her feet out repeatedly, tapping it repeatedly with her toes. It was soft, yet firm. Whatever "it" was, it retained great heat.

With what little energy she had, she sat up, retracted her legs, and made a one-hundred eighty degree turn so that her head was facing the heated object. She could barely make out the outline of this figure in front of her; the darkness of the night disabled most of her sight. Using her hands, she felt it cautiously. It emitted such inviting warmth, causing Raven to grin somewhat deliriously in her half-awake state. What she was touching did not budge, so she assumed it was safe to move further.

Raven could feel herself dozing off again, so she needed to be quick. She crawled further up this soft, warm, sturdy figure until most of her uncomfortably cold body rested upon it. With her hands, she felt six strong feeling masses beneath a fabric surface. Moving her hands up, she found two larger, but somewhat softer structures. She laid her head on one of them and it proved to be an excellent pillow. To her, this whole complex was the equivalent of a body-sized space heater. This is where she would sleep for the rest of the night, she decided. It was so _very_ comfortable. She draped her right arm over one side and gripped another round, hard mass at the top left side of her "pillow". She smiled contently as her body relaxed on this heated bed. Within seconds, she drifted back off into sleep.

**-X-X-X-**

For some reason Beast Boy felt heavy, like something was pressing down on his chest and abdomen. As his mind slipped back into consciousness and the realm of reasonable thought, he figured there _was_ something weighing him down. The question, though, was what?

His eyes seemed to be glued shut, as it took him a seemingly great effort to pry them open. The morning sun beamed into his squinting eyes and he waited for them to adjust to the new light of day. Soon his blurry surroundings came into focus and he could see clearly once more. But as soon as he looked down his body, he was caught in a mental stupor. He wasn't sure if he could trust his eyes. Maybe he was still sleeping.

Lying stretched out against him, still in a graceful slumber, was Raven. He stared at her, wide-eyed. The dark beauty laid her head on his chest while one arm gripped his right shoulder and the other was draped over his left shoulder.

Stunned would have been a vast understatement for what Beast Boy was feeling. What were the chances of this happening? How did he not wake when she climbed on top of him? He knew he was a deep sleeper, but this just didn't seem possible. He was baffled by the mere sight of her so… close. Then something else occurred to him: _why_ was she on top of him?

Raven stirred. Beast Boy became frightened that his rapidly increasing heartbeat may have woken her. Her eyes opened and she slowly turned her head to look Beast Boy directly in his fear-filled eyes. She looked at him, momentarily confused as to why he was staring at her as if he were the bumbling Dr. Light. It was then that she realized _where exactly_ she was. The warmth and firmness of another human body was the dead giveaway. Her eyes shot open to match his. Neither Raven nor Beast Boy moved a muscle. They were completely frozen with shock in the uncomfortable silence. It was as if time itself stopped moving so it could savor this moment and laugh at their predicament.

It wasn't until the two of them blinked simultaneously that their brain juices resumed flow and they realized what was going on. Raven clambered off him and he spastically retracted to the edge of the couch. They were now at the opposite ends. A bright red tinge touched both of their cheeks as they desperately looked anywhere but at each other.

"Umm, Raven?" Beast Boy finally asked, timidly.

"Yes," she responded. Her voice held an uncharacteristic nervousness. It was definitely not the Raven he woke up in the middle of the night.

"How did _that_ happen?"

A few seconds that felt like an eternity passed before she said anything. "…I was cold," she said softly.

Beast Boy turned to look at her. "Huh?"

She sat with her legs curled up to her chest as she stared absently at the floor. "I remember waking up and feeling cold," she explained. "Then before I fell asleep again, I remember feeling warm."

"Raven?" he inquired again.

"Hmm?"

"Are you mad at me?"

Her head snapped towards him. From the look she gave him, he knew she thought he was being ridiculous.

"Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?" she asked, curious as to why Beast Boy would think that. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I have no reason to be. It's not your fault. You didn't do anything… I did…"

He gave a simple "Oh" for a lack of anything better to say and then they both turned to look at the floor. He always seemed to be worried about upsetting her.

Raven sighed. "Beast Boy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you mad at _me_?"

He looked at her again, but she was peering out one of the large windows overlooking Jump Bay.

"No," he said mildly, "I'm just feeling a little––"

"Awkward? Embarrassed?" she interrupted. "Yeah, I know the feeling." She looked at him finally, offering a kind of small, sad smile.

"Well, yeah, but that's not what I was gunna say, actually." His voice held some anxiousness.

She gave him a questioning look.

"I'm just feeling a little confused… with myself," he submitted. "I'm not mad or anything about you lying on me. Like, it's no big deal." Beast Boy smiled shyly.

These words made Raven feel embarrassed. She turned away very quickly. However, she was smiling now, but just barely. "Well, um, I'm glad I didn't put you in a weird position," she said as the warm sensation of a blush rushed to her cheeks yet again.

"Well, I mean waking up with you, um… right there on me was just sorta surprising," Beast Boy pointed out.

Raven stifled a small laugh. "Yeah, I'll say." She couldn't control the words that were to follow. "You're really warm…"

Beast Boy showed absolutely no outward reaction besides just looking at her steadily, calmly. It was eerie, considering this was Beast Boy.

Then Beast Boy twitched as if coming out of a trance. "Oh, uh, thanks," he said, remembering he was being talked to. "So I'm guessing you got that good night sleep you were looking for?"

He seemed eager to change the subject, but Raven decided to let it go and follow along.

"Yeah, I did," she replied.

They both smiled at each other.

Just then, the main doors opened and the three other Titans barged in.

Cyborg started down the steps until he noticed the two other Titans sitting on the couch, staring at him.

"Well well, look what we have here," he teased. "An early bird mingling with a grass stain. What's the occasion?" He grinned slyly.

Beast Boy narrowed his eyes at him. The two others standing beside Cyborg were snickering at the remark.

"No occasion," Raven said suddenly. "I fell asleep out here and Beast Boy came in to wake me up." She was able to speak in her usual monotone.

"_He_ came to wake _you_ up?" Cyborg asked incredulously, pointing at the green kid sitting on the couch.

"Yeah, sounds kind of odd for Beast Boy," Robin interjected, chuckling a little bit. He smiled, reveling in his suspicion of the two Titans under investigation.

"Oh, you know how he likes to bug me," Raven supplied, casting a fake glare at Beast Boy.

Cyborg looked from Raven to Beast Boy, who rolled his eyes at Raven. Cyborg just grinned. "Well, just be sure you don't get yourself killed, man," he kidded, to which Beast Boy replied by sticking out his tongue.

Raven smiled, proud of how that went.

As the others went about their business, Raven and Beast Boy brought their attention back to themselves.

Beast Boy was now grinning widely. "Nice cover," he whispered to her.

"Thanks," she said, now feeling good about herself. The slight interruption brought some needed humor to the situation.

"So, you okay with what happened?" Beast Boy asked hopefully.

"Yes, I am," she replied, confidence back in her voice.

Then Beast Boy's smile faded and his ears drooped. "Soooooo, in other words… it never happened?" he asked. He didn't know why, but he started to feel disappointed. He knew he had to ask her, and he had a feeling of what her answer might be.

"I'm afraid so," she said.

However, the unusually light tone accompanied by those words intrigued Beast Boy. He looked at her and caught her eyes in his. It was almost as if he could see her thoughts through them. And at the moment, he knew she would _never_ forget what happened. It would remain their little secret.

Right about then Raven started feeling grimy and wanted to take a nice, long, hot shower. She never liked the way she felt right after getting up in the morning and she needed to get ready for the day. It also provided the opportunity to avoid any further embarrassment.

"Well, if you don't mind, I'm going to go freshen up," she told him.

And with that, she rose from the couch and began to walk away. Beast Boy's smile returned, larger than ever. Remembering the sight of her sleeping on the couch, he let out a content sigh. That would always be his secret, what he witnessed that night. He really hoped she fall asleep out on the couch more often. As he pondered, he watched like a fool as the Azarathian Angel gracefully strode away in her tight, blue satin pajamas.

Cyborg walked over to the couch but halted when he peered around his plate stacked with a foot-high tower of bacon and a dozen sunny-side-up eggs. He narrowed his eyes at Beast Boy.

"Man, how long have those grapes been sittin' out on the coffee table?"

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**A/N'S****:**

I'd like to start by saying I believe Beast Boy is one DEEP, DEEP sleeper. I gather this from his habits in the show. So of course, Raven could've gotten up there without waking him – completely plausible. :P

Hope y'all enjoyed it and thanks for reading!


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